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Established

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Motto

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Description

Ludendorff was established in 1945, and still retains some of its original buildings. Little else is known about the town's history, other than it being home to the "Midwest's Biggest Beaver". The town's population is given as 918.

In both of its appearances the exploration of the town is considerably restricted, not allowing the player to follow any paths other than the main road. Before patch 1.08, Grand Theft Auto Online players could freely explore Ludendorff through a glitch, but it has since been patched. After this, players were still able to access North Yankton by using a slight variation of the original glitch, but this was patched once again in 1.10.

Events of Grand Theft Auto V

In 2004, Michael Townley, Trevor Philips, and Brad Snider robbed a bank in Ludendorff. The police arrived on the scene and chased the trio as they try to escape to their getaway helicopter. The SUV Trevor was driving was hit by a train and ruined, and the group escaped on foot to their destination. A sniper hiding around a corner shot Brad and Michael, killing Brad and immobilizing Michael. Trevor is forced to fend off the approaching police himself, and runs away from some armed pursuing locals. A pretend funeral for Michael is then shown at a snowy cemetery, while Michael watches on from a safe distance, flicks away his cigarette and leaves.

Sometime between 2004 and 2013, Michael, his family, and Trevor both move to Los Santos and Blaine County, respectively. During Bury the Hatchet, after becoming increasingly suspicious of the circumstances surrounding the aftermath of the heist, Trevor returns to Ludendorff in order to exhume Michael's grave, whilst Michael pursues him. When Trevor arrives at the cemetery, he opens up the coffin, and his suspicions are confirmed when he finds Brad's dead body inside.

Influence

Ludendorff may be based on the eastern area of Fargo, the largest city of North Dakota. The name Ludendorff could also be a reference to the city of Bismarck.

Law Enforcement

North Yankton State Patrol

The police seen in Ludendorff in GTA V are State Troopers of North Yankton. The state police drive white Police Roadcruisers with two stripes down the side and "STATE PATROL" written next to the front door, along with the police emblem. They also use Police Ranchers with the same livery. The cars are fitted with snow chains on tyres. Officers wear black coats over white shirts with black ties, and light brown pants.

Trivia

Ludendorff is a German name, and is a reference to the large German-American population in the American Midwest. The town may be named after Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff, a German general in World War I who later become infamous for staging the Munich "Beer Hall Putsch" alongside Adolf Hitler in 1923. This is based on Bismarck being named after German chancellor Otto von Bismarck.

Trying to explore Ludendorff during Bury the Hatchet is impossible as the game will fail the mission should the player deviate from the designated path to the church's cemetery. Earlier, there's a glitch that allows the player to explore it by abandoning the Asea where the route changes, and then climbing onto some walls and running along the nearest building at the left (when heading to the cemetery), without abandoning the car to prevent a mission failure.[1]

The method is somewhat long, as the player needs the Asea closer while using another car, as leaving far away or re-entering it will fail the mission.

An exception is when the Asea is pushed too far away of the destination point, allowing the player to explore the place without failing the mission. However, if driving too close to the cemetery, the mission automatically fails.[2]

Ludendorff has its own Lifeinvader page which is only accessible by Trevor.

In Grand Theft Auto V, there is no radio stations in the city.

The pause screen map is not accurate and many roads displayed on it do not exist in areas that are not normally accessible, ie. past the town. However, all buildings that are shown on the map are there, as drawn.

It should be noted that although the town's solid areas are very small, accessing the town through the use of modifications on the PC version reveal that vehicles will continue to spawn and navigate the streets, probably to avoid crashing the game or causing other glitches.

It is possible to enter the town via a glitch in multiplayer as seen in this video. It got patched in the 1.08 build.

The town is solid only in certain areas and it's completely deserted. The gates to Bobcat Security are not solid so it's possible to get inside the building.

Ludendorff is known to have a stenchful, foul odour during parts of the year due to "sewer malfunctions." When Michael and Trevor are hanging out together, they might mention this and reflect on it, sarcastically claiming they're glad they "didn't die in a place that smelled so bad."